Purpose

We all want a better life, better job, more money, better recognition and so on. But do we really know what satisfies us the most in case we were going to be rewarded? Does your organisation know what you would consider as a great reward?

This exercise is effectively a questionnaire that you can provide to members of staff on a periodic basis (e.g. annually) to collect ideas on rewards and recognitions. Knowing what your staff considers great reward, means you can provide them with what they want and therefore increase productivity within the organisation.

Objective

Fill in the questionnaire on preferred rewards and recognitions.

What You Need

Two copies of the “Preferred Rewards Questionnaire” for each delegate.

One envelop for each delegate.

Setup

Distribute two copies of the “Preferred Rewards Questionnaire” to each delegate.

Ask each person to answer the questions honestly without fearing any judgement. This is not just about collecting information, it is also about helping to see what they want in life and what rewards are valuable to them.

Allocate about 15 minutes for everyone to fill in their forms.

Ask the delegates to put their forms into an envelope so that the forms remain confidential. Only their managers will get to see the forms.

Explain that they can take the other form home and use it to answer the questions for themselves knowing that no one else is going to see them. They can be as imaginative as they want without fear of judgement. The exercise will help them see what they really want to get in life and what satisfies them the most.

Optionally, follow with a group discussion after everyone has completed their forms.

Timing

Explaining the Exercise: 2 minutes

Activity: 15 minutes

Group Feedback: 5 minutes

Discussion

How did you feel about the questions? Was it easy to answer them? Those who like to share their answers are free to discuss them, though no one should be under any obligation to reveal anything they don’t want to share.

Preferred Rewards Questionnaire

Please consider the following questions and answers as honestly as you can. The forms are treated as confidential and only your manager will get to see them.

NAME: ________________________

Date: ________________________

1. List your top three favourite gadgets or products that you don’t own but wish to have.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

2. List your top three favourite hobbies and interests.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

3. List your top three favourites experiences that you want to participate in that you have never experienced before.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

4. List three rewards that you think the organisation can provide to you.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

5. List three non-tangible rewards that you like to receive, such as being given a certain role or simply getting recognised for your work.